Don’t skip breakfast!

“Thank you so much, Yves. Since I’ve been strictly following your advice, I’m not tired anymore, I don’t feel hungry all day and I finally start losing weight … I heard it many times before – even my mum told me to never skip breakfast – but your simple few rules and delicious recipes made the whole difference!”.

As you know, a wealth of research shows that starting the day with a good nutritious -and delicious!- breakfast is the MOST important thing to do to beat cravings, maintain a healthy weight and give you the focus and energy you need to function properly, whatever your day holds.

So… DON’T SKIP BREAKFAST. If you take your health and your job seriously, it’s not negotiable – Unless you’re interested in intermittent fasting as explained in my last article, but this is another story!

So here are two key principles and seven delicious recipes, one for each day!

Don’t forget to allow some time to enjoy your breakfast.

Don’t have your breakfast on the go! Take your time and enjoy! breakfast is the most important meal of the day so it deserves all your attention and care.

Sitting while you eat, chewing to better assimilate the nutrients and enjoying each bite will go a long way towards performing at your best for the rest of the day.

If you can, add some leafy greens too: spinach, collard greens, rocket or, if you like it, kale. I know that might be a bit challenging for many of us, me included, but give it a go. You’ll notice the difference in your energy level very soon.

And for all croissants lovers (included me!), remember: croissants are a treat, not a breakfast to have every day! I’ll write an article on this delicacy very soon!

Here are my favourite breakfast recipes. Bon appetit

BREAKFAST 1: HOME-MADE GRANOLA TRIFLES, BY BONDI HARVEST

1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds

1 tablespoon pistachios

1 tablespoon walnuts

1 tablespoon macadamias

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 spring thyme

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups of natural yoghurt

In season fruit

BREAKFAST 2: CLASSIC

2 organic poached eggs served with one cup of slightly steamed spinach, some wild-caught salmon (grilled or poached) with mushrooms, some wholemeal bread, some grass-fed butter, a pinch of natural sea salt and pepper. Heaven!

You also can add the maple syrup; otherwise you can sweeten the muesli with the fresh and dried fruits when you eat it

Put the dish in the oven (150 degrees on grill/oven) and mix every 5 minutes until all ingredients are well roasted – not burnt!

Let it cool down

Store in a container

Add just before serving: fresh fruits (in particular fresh berries), some dried fruits such as sultanas, goji berries, dried black currants (not too much as they are loaded with sugar), some full fat milk and/or yoghurt if you want

Tip: You can also make muesli bars, perfect healthy snack!

Simply add some water to the mixture before putting into the oven, it will make it expand. Mark lines (to make it easier to cut when cooked) and put in the oven. Cook it very slowly.

BREAKFAST 5: IDEAL FOR THE COLDER MONTHS… and so quick

Homemade oats porridge with coconut milk. Use quinoa for a gluten-free option. I prepare a batch on Sunday night, heat it up every morning and serve with a few slices of pears or apples or banana, a few almonds or walnuts and a dash of crème fraiche. It only takes 5 minutes.

BREAKFAST 6: PERFECT MEAL

2 organic eggs

1 cup of spinach or rocket or collard greens or kale

1 medium size sweet potato

natural sea salt and pepper

olive oil or grass-fed butter

Eggs, spinach, wholemeal bread …

Directions

fill small pot ¾ full with filtered water, put the eggs and bring to low boil. Let it boil on low heat for 3 minutes

fill steamer pot with a little bit of filtered water on high heat

put sweet potatoes (washed and chopped in small cubes) in steam basket and steam for 5 minutes.

put the greens (washed and chopped in 3cm pieces) on top of the potatoes. Steam until they are tender: one minute should be enough. Remove from heat when done.

Peel the eggs and put them on a plate over the greens and sweet potatoes. Add salt, pepper and a piece of butter or olive oil on top.

BREAKFAST 7: ON THE GO… if you have to!

1 large glass of almond milk (1 cup of almonds, 3 cups of water with vanilla extract) + ½ cup of blueberries: Blend and serve